The need to space clothes hangers that hang from closet rods has existed for many decades if not centuries.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,389 to Friend notes that it was well known over fifty years ago that conventional garment hangers, particularly the most usual type of wire hangers, have an annoying characteristic, in that adjacent hangers tend to become entangled with one another. As a result, when one attempts to remove a garment hanger from the clothes bar, it is found, on many occasions, that the hanger that is to be removed is entangled with adjacent hangers, the hangers being difficult to separate from one another and hence causing considerable inconvenience and annoyance. Friend solves this problem by providing a plurality of garment hanger support sleeves, slidably adjustable along the clothes bar and so designed as to uniformly space the several hangers along the length of the clothes bar, with the spacing being such that the hangers will not tangle with one another under ordinary circumstances. Unfortunately, Friends' solution does not lend itself to easily adding or removing the sleeves once the rod is attached in the closet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,210 to Blumenkranz et al. solves the problem of requiring removal of the bar from the closet by providing a clamshell-type sleeve that can open and shut to attach to the closet bar. The mechanisms used by Blumenkranz to allow the sleeve to open and shut, however, instill extra complexity and cost to that invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,929 to Fedorchak also discloses a generally tubular or sleeve-like body which can have different spacing elements on it, ranging from wavelike indentations to notches, in which the hook portions of hangers may be located. Fedorchak acknowledges the problem of possible rotation of the sleeve, and provides a series of longitudinal ridges inside the sleeve to grip a closet bar or double sided tape to adhere to the bar. Such interior ridges, however, are effective only if the bar is of a size and shape that closely matches the sleeve. Moreover, double sided tape or other adhesive conflicts with the desire to have the bar removable and its position on the bar adjustable.
More recently, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0278594 to Macon provides a similar closet hanger spacing device with notches for hanger hooks and adhesive elements such as double sided tape to prevent rotation.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, none of these prior art approaches is commercially available, suggesting a failure to fulfill the goal of providing a closet hanger spacing device that works well. Stated differently, an effective solution to the problem of closet hanger spacing has eluded inventors for decades.